The earlier invention relates to scoops with weighing capacity. Scoops generally have load receiving vessels with attached handles. In this case, a weighing device such as a load cell incorporating a strain gauge connects the handle to the load receiving vessel and a display scale is built into the handle. The weighing device is calibrated so that when the load receiving vessel is empty it registers zero, and registers the specific weight of material in the load receiving vessel. This was intended to weigh amounts of material in the kilogram range, when buying or measuring material, since most people have no idea what a gram, kilogram, or five or ten kilograms looks like. In grocery stores, for example it would enable rough estimation of cost of product. It was also considered for xe2x80x9clegal for tradexe2x80x9d purposes, which would require testing and approval by regulating authority.
For industrial use shock loading and overloading had to be considered, and for xe2x80x9clegal for tradexe2x80x9d purposes the load registered had to remain constant. Overload protection to prevent damage to the load cell is preferably incorporated. Flexmount protection, which provides relative rigidity at the fixed end of the load cell until the load exceeds a predetermined amount, and yields at that point, was also preferably incorporated, preventing distortion of the load cell. An inclinometer is also preferably incorporated to make the registered load constant.
Although the invention is described and referred to specifically as it relates to specific devices, structures and methods for scoops with handles incorporating display scales, overload protection, flexmount protection and inclinometers, it will be understood that the principles of this invention are equally applicable to similar devices, structures and methods for material containing and handling and accordingly, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to such devices, structures and methods for material containing and handling.
Generally scoops are used to transfer bulk material from a storage or holding container to a traditional weighing scale, where the bulk material is poured out to be weighed. Often a specific approximate or exact amount is required, and achieved by hit and miss methods. It is of practical advantage and convenience to know the amount in the load receiving vessel before pouring. It is also of practical advantage to have overload protection, and flexmount protection, preventing damage to the weighing device, and an inclinometer to provide a constant registered load.
Prior art made of record in application Ser. No. 09/365,743 and hereby incorporated by reference, includes U.S. Pat. No. 412,049, Oct. 1, 1999, to Side; U.S. Pat. No. 537,743, Apr. 16, 1895, to Berquist; U.S. Pat. No. 570,434, Oct. 27, 1896, to Johnson; U.S. Pat. No. 578,642, Mar. 9, 1897, to Joslyn; U.S. Pat. No. 734,653, Jul. 28, 1903, to Alexander; U.S. Pat. No. 781,920, Feb. 7, 1905, to Taylor, U.S. Pat. No. 784,641, Mar. 14, 1905, to Taylor; U.S. Pat. No. 807,334, Dec. 12, 1905, to Swank; U.S. Pat. No. 852,183, Apr. 30, 1907, to Howe; U.S. Pat. No. 1,266,881, May 21, 1918, to Taylor; U.S. Pat. No. 2,333,385, Nov. 2, 1943, to Le Bert; U.S. Pat. No. 2,893,134, Jul. 7, 1959, to Shea et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 3,701,093, Oct. 24, 1972, to Pick; U.S. Pat. No. 4,347,905, Sep. 7, 1982, to Berckes; U.S. Pat. No. 4,373,155, Feb. 8, 1983, to Dola; U.S. Pat. No. 4,421,186, Dec. 20, 1983, to Bradley; U.S. Pat. No. 4,660,666, Apr. 28, 1987, to Reder et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,697,655, Oct. 6, 1987 to Junkas; U.S. Pat. No. 4,832,092, May 23, 1989, to Hirose et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,909,340, Mar. 20, 1990, to Kazais et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,042,158, Aug. 27, 1991, to Schmelzer; U.S. Pat. No. 5,121,328, Jun. 9, 1992, to Sakai et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,199,518, Apr. 6, 1993, to Woodle; U.S. Pat. No. 5,442,146, Aug. 15, 1995, to Bell et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,545,855, Aug. 13, 1996, to Stanfield et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,646,376, Jul. 8, 1997, to Kroll et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,669,147, Sep. 23, 1997, to Nakajima et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,714,695, Feb. 3, 1998, to Bruns; U.S. Pat. No. 5,773,767, Jun. 30, 1998, to Collins, Jr. et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,854,447, Dec. 29, 1998, to Greenwood et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,995,713, Sep. 21, 1999, Titus et al.
It is a principal object of the invention to provide shock loading protection for a scoop having a weigh scale operatively associated with a load cell. It is another principal object to provide overload protection for a scoop having a weigh scale operatively associated with a load cell. It is a another principal object of the invention to provide an inclinometer for a scoop having a weigh scale operatively associated with a load cell, to correct weigh scale readings for angular deviation from the horizontal, in two, four or six (multi-dimensional) directions. It is a further principal object of the invention to provide a visible ball bearing switch, which cuts off the weigh scale display, at a predetermined angle of tilt. It is a subsidiary object of the invention to provide a flexmount of predetermined yield load at the fixed end of the load cell, to provided shock loading and overload protection. It is a further subsidiary object of the invention to provide a flexmount formed by an elastomeric grommet of predetermined yield load to hold retaining bolts for the load cell. It is a further subsidiary object of the invention to provide a flexmount formed by spring mounted retaining bolts of predetermined yield load for the load cell. It is a further subsidiary object of the invention to provide overload protection at the moving end of the load cell. Further subsidiary objects of the invention are to provide a check rod and/or an overload stop at the moving end of the load cell for overload protection. It is a further subsidiary object of the invention to provide a load cell that is moment insensitive binocular single point shear beam. It is a further subsidiary object of the the invention to provide a metal security ring in the handle of the scoop. Other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following specification, appended claims and accompanying drawings.
In one broad aspect the invention is directed to a scoop having a load receiving vessel and a handle attached to the vessel. Load cell means with strain gauge means, is mounted in the handle and bearing the load receiving vessel. The strain gauge means is operatively associated with CPU means, which are operatively associated with readout display means, whereby a weight in the load receiving vessel is converted to a display number on the readout display means. Inclinometer means are mounted in the handle and operatively associated with the CPU, whereby angular deviation from the horizontal is compensated so that the readout display means shows the correct weight. The inclinometer means may be two dimensional, which compensates for angular deviation in two opposed directions from the horizontal along the load receiving vessel-handle axis. It may be four-dimensional, which compensates for angular deviation from the horizontal along the load receiving vessel-handle axis and at right angles thereto. It may be multi-dimensional, which compensates for angular deviation from the horizontal in any direction. Two-dimensional inclinometers were found effective, use of the more sensitive forms would improve accuracy, but not to a significant practical degree. The more sensitive inclinometers are generally more expensive, and this increases with the angular compensation covered, which in theory can approach 45xc2x0 from the horizontal. Preferably the handle has a metal security ring at the end furthest from the load receiving vessel. In use this is typically attached to a chain itself attached to a wall or floor eye bolt or the like to prevent the scoop being stolen.
In another broad aspect the invention is directed to a scoop having a load receiving vessel and a handle attached to the vessel, and load cell means with strain gauge mean. The handle has a neck. The load cell means is mounted in flexmount means of predetermined yield load in the neck and bears the load receiving vessel. The load cell means has associated overload protection means. The strain gauge means is operatively associated with CPU means, which are operatively associated with readout display means, whereby a weight in the load receiving vessel is converted to a display number on the readout display means. Preferably the neck has opposed top and bottom walls and opposed side walls and an end handle wall opposite the load receiving vessel. Preferably the fixed end of the load cell means is attached to flexmount means mounted in the end wall and the load receiving vessel is mounted on the moving end of the load cell means. The flexmount means may comprise paired horizontal vertically aligned bolts passing through the end wall and engaging threaded apertures in the load cell means. Each bolt has a washer urged away from the end wall by a spring, the washer presses against the head of the bolt. The flexmount has a predetermined yield load, which is achieved by varying the compressive strength of the springs. The yield load can be reproducibly predetermined by routine experimentation, varying the springs until the desired yield load is achieved. Alternatively the flexmount means comprises an elastomeric grommet of predetermined yield load mounted matingly in an aperture in the end wall. The grommet has opposed generally planar faces and paired spaced apart peripheral flanges to engage the end wall around the aperture. The grommet also has paired horizontal vertically aligned apertures, with paired horizontally aligned bolts passing through these grommet apertures and engaging threaded apertures within the load cell means. The heads of the bolts press against one of the planar faces. The grommets are made from elastomers, often mixed. They are made by compounding suitable elastomers and vulcanizing them as known to those skilled in the rubber compounding art. Generally a suitable mixture is compounded and moulded under suitable vulcanizing conditions in a single step. It is then tested for yield load, it was found that the same mixture moulded and vulcanized under identical conditions produced reproducible yield loads, both from sample to sample, and with reiteration. The number of suitable possible vulcanizable elastomers and mixtures is vast. Shore A Durometer Hardness was found a reliable rough indicator of yield load for selection of vulcanizable mixtures. The overload protection means preferably comprises a transverse check rod passing horizontally through the load cell means. The ends of the check rod are secured in opposed apertures in the neck side walls. Generally the check rod is a bolt, whose head engages an outer surface of a neck side wall, while the other end engages an outer surface of the other neck side wall. Alternatively the overload protection means comprises a load stop, which is a projecting threaded rod received within a threaded aperture in the bottom of the load cell means, which on overload engages the bottom wall of the neck. In combination once the load passes the predetermined yield load, the flexmount ceases to support the load cell, which then moves downward until stopped by check rod or load stop. Desirably Inclinometer means are mounted in the handle and operatively associated with the CPU, whereby angular deviation from the horizontal is compensated so that the readout display means shows the correct weight. The inclinometer means may be two dimensional, which compensates for angular deviation in two opposed directions from the horizontal along the load receiving vessel-handle axis. It may be four-dimensional, which compensates for angular deviation from the horizontal along the load receiving vessel-handle axis and at right angles thereto. It may be multi-dimensional, which compensates for angular deviation from the horizontal in any direction. Often the handle has a metal security ring at the end furthest from the load receiving vessel. A level indicator may be mounted on the neck top wall, which comprises a conducting base being part of a electric circuit, and forming a sector of a generally spherical surface. The base has a conducting surface, which is typically metal, conveniently the entire base is a metal plate or sheet. A sidewall circumjacent the sector extends inward toward the center of the spherical surface. The sidewall has a circumferential conducting element spaced apart from and above the conducting base. This conducting element is part of the electric circuit and generally level when the indicator is level. A round conductor typically a ball bearing rests and is rollable on the conducting base. The ball bearing is in the middle of the conducting base when the base is level, and touches the conducting element in the sidewall when resting against the sidewall, whereby the electric circuit is closed. The electric circuit when open may allow an indicator/annunciator light to light and when closed switches it off. The spherical surface preferably subtends an angle of between about 8 and 12xc2x0 at the center of the spherical surface, allowing the ball bearing to displace up to half the angle before contacting the sidewall. The level indicator may have a transparent insulating top wall above and touching the sidewall spaced apart from and opposed to the conducting base.
In a third broad aspect the invention is directed to a scoop having a load receiving vessel and a handle attached to the vessel, and moment insensitive binocular single point shear beam load cell means with strain gauge means. The load cell means is mounted in the handle and bears the load bearing vessel. The strain gauge means is operatively associated with CPU means, which is operatively associated with readout display means, whereby a weight in the load bearing vessel is converted to a display number on the readout display means. The handle has a neck comprising opposed top and bottom walls and opposed side walls and an end handle wall opposite the load bearing vessel. The fixed end of the load cell means is attached to flexmount means mounted in the end wall. The load receiving vessel is mounted on the moving end of the load cell means, which has associated overload means. A ball bearing level indicator as described above may be mounted on the exterior top wall of the neck. The flexmount may comprise an elastomeric grommet of predetermined yield load as described above. The overload protection means may comprise a transverse check rod as described above. Inclinometer means may be mounted in the handle and operatively associated with the CPU, whereby angular deviation from the horizontal can be compensated so that the readout display means shows the correct weight. The flexmount may comprise an elastomeric grommet of predetermined yield load as described above, while the overload protection means may comprise a transverse check rod as described above. Usually the handle has a metal security ring at the end furthest from the load bearing vessel.
Typically there is a control switch assembly operatively associated with the CPU means, and similarly there are indicator/annunciator lights operatively associated with the CPU means. The control switch assembly has a plurality of switches, typically one switch each for ON/ZERO, OFF, ACCUMULATE, HOLD and UNITS. The ON/ZERO switch actuates the CPU means on first actuation, and setting the display number to zero on second and subsequent actuations. The OFF switch deactivates the CPU means. The ACCUMULATE switch actuates the readout display when a second or subsequent weight is placed in the load bearing vessel displaying the summed weights as a display number on the readout display. The HOLD switch actuates the readout display to display the previous display number. The UNITS switch changes the units of weight of the display number, from metric to avoirdupois, or from avoirdupois to metric. Typically the indicator/annunciator lights comprise ZERO, HOLD, and UNITS lights. The ZERO light is lit when the display number on the readout display is zero, but not otherwise. The HOLD light is lit when the readout display shows the previous display number, but not otherwise. One UNIT light is lit when the display number indicates metric units, but not otherwise. The other UNIT light is lit when the display number indicates avoirdupois units, but not otherwise. The switches may be tactile in a membrane keyboard as part of the display or separate, while the lights similarly may be part of the display, or separate. Either a level indicator or an inclinometer is preferably operatively associated with the CPU means. The level indicator actuates a level registering means, which registers level when the means is horizontal or at an angle to the horizontal less than or equal to a predetermined angle, and does not register level when the means is at an angle to the horizontal greater than the predetermined angle. An indicator/annunciator light may be operatively associated with the level registering means. The light is lit when the level registering means registers level, and off otherwise.